Acrylic Painting and The Muralist
Acrylic Painting and the Muralist I can’t believe it’s July 2, 2011, and we are halfway through the year already.
To me July means
Acrylic Painting and the Muralist, hot days, and bright summer colors, so I decided to paint a 4 ft x 3 ft small mural using my favorite medium-heavy bodied acrylics.
As most of you know I use several different mediums and paint in many different styles to expand my knowledge. Going back several years when I first started acrylic painting on canvas did I know I would be using this medium in its entirety as a muralist.
But as life would have it, I can only assume that it was meant for me to paint this way. Some artists and muralists have trouble with acrylic paint because of how quickly they dry, especially the heavy-bodied acrylics, but there are a couple of ways to prevent them from drying quickly using extenders and clear mediums, but believe it or not, I have adapted to them and rarely do I use either. As a muralist, I really have no problems controlling the drying because I paint somewhat loosely when acrylic painting and go for a more painterly look.
This mural I actually painted as a tribute to artist Jerry Yarnell,
Yes that’s right the PBS Paint Along with Jerry Yarnell guy
I have always loved his style of acrylic painting because of his use of intensity of color in his work. Most muralists will use grayed colors as opposed to using intensity which can get out of hand if not controlled correctly. Myself personally the more complicated a challenge is the more I love it.
As a muralist to me, acrylic painting with heavy-bodied paint and the fast-drying properties enables me to work as translucently as I want by thinning the medium with water or as heavy and opaque as I need without having to do several layers due to the paint being to thin, to begin with.
I also paint in oils and slow drying fluid acrylics but I think I am at my best with the heavy body acrylic painting medium.
As I am no different than any other artist when it comes to reference material on an acrylic painting I do however love to paint from other artists’ instructional material for two reasons. Once you discover more as a muralist about the acrylic painting medium you are using and two you discover many different approaches to a particular technique. For instance, another artist I like, Hugh Greer works from a very limited palette of some time only 4 colors that are high in chroma but yet can be mixed to every color needed to complete a landscape.
If you are just starting out as a muralist with acrylic painting and learning about color, I would recommend Mr. Yarnell’s books. Starting with his book on the “Basics” he explains simple methods that are easy to understand about acrylic painting and is very thorough about, not only the “how to mix color” but “the why” also, which most other books will fail to tell you.
As a muralist, I have learned many things from several artists about acrylic painting, and as I show the progress of the mural, these are the steps that he shows in his book on “Color” (book #8) for this particular acrylic painting.
The differences are I am acrylic painting with a heavier bodied medium (Golden) while he paints with a more fluid medium (Liquitex) plus I have made some minor changes to the kind of make it my own but all in all, it’s close to the same rendering.
Although I have never met Mr. Yarnell or have rarely seen any of his PBS shows, I do however have most of his books on acrylic painting along with many other books. The point I am trying to make is a reference is king when you’re an artist, muralist, faux finisher, painter, carpenter, gardener, whatever the case may be, and it is an important part of growing in ones chosen career, trade or even acrylic painting as a hobby.
Being a muralist I can render anything in any size and do to my experience with acrylic painting as well as other mediums and I still practice, research, and learn new things every day.
I hope you enjoyed this rendering and tribute to artist Jerry Yarnell who also gives back with his weekly series of
Paint Along With Jerry Yarnell on PBS
Who knows, maybe one day he may teach a class here in Southwest Fl. ;0)
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Acrylic Painting and The Muralist.
11 thoughts on “Acrylic Painting and the Muralist”
Gareth ~
Sorry if my remarks got a little wordy, but your art really rang my chimes. I don’t even know how I found this site. But I will sure remember how to find it again.
I seldom use the word ‘inspiration’, so I will just say I have been ‘touched’ by what I found here today. It is nice to know there are some real artists around.
Thank You for being here at a time when I was feeling a little isolated. “Never stop painting”. ~ Keith
Sorry Arthur and Gareth, if I mixed up the names on the above comments. I can’t find my eraser! But the sentiment stays the same and is interchangeable. Be patient with me, I am the new guy here. And I am glad to be here.
Hi Keith, if you’re referring to Gareth’s photography work you are surely in the right place as Gareth and I know one another and have been working at our art for a number of years. I follow Gareth everywhere online and do a lot of local networking. Gareth has made some great achievements and has made leaps and bounds in his career, where I have had a few leaps myself and I try to keep up on his blog posts too, You’re in good company as we are all artists looking for the same thing
It is so nice to run across some real, old school, fine art painting. That is what I do. I am getting old, but I still have the capacity to admire and learn from every thing that strikes me as beautiful, intriguing, well rendered, interesting,or all of the above.I will always be a student.
I am self-taught and have been artistically insane all my life. With the exception of one gig in France, I have gotten myself stuck in Tampa Bay most of my mural painting career. I do faux effects also. I would gladly travel, but somebody would have to invite me, and I don’t know how to make that happen. ~ Keith
Thanks Keith, I feel your pain brother as it is a tough world out there for us mural and fine artists. However it is getting better it’s just that there is a new market out there and a slough of 2nd gen faux painters that are trying to compete in the Paint contractors” market which has killed the most basic faux finish. The latest of the baby boomer market and (do it yourselfer’s) is also killing our market which squeezes us yet into an even smaller market.
At this point we have to look for some innovative ways to brand ourselves on and off line by focusing on local. I know how hard it is as I do it all on my own also.Stay in touch I have some interesting things coming out, Arthur
Beautiful work! Nice light on the landscapes!
Thanks Cindy, Glad to see you around again you must be busy, I hope. I am in the middle of revamping my site and will be starting some Hanggouts On Air (HOA) on Google + soon hope your around when I do this as some of them will be “Live broadcasted”
Man your murals are to much I mean off the hook.
I sent you an email with a link on it check it out I think it will give you some new ideas. Love your work Scotte:
Thanks bro, My passion has always been painting and when I was young I didn’t care what kind of painting it was, just as long as I was doing it.You name it I was painting it…model cars, bicycles, walls, ceilings, our garage, our house, the fence, the dog, my sister (when she was a sleep) I don’t think there was a day that went by whereas I was getting into trouble somewhere….
fabulous work Art…your name says it all!
Gareth I have to say the same for you I say the release in the Journal and wanted to say congratulations! I will stop by your blog as soon as I get caught up here, Thanks for stopping by